The Dragonborn's Circle
by Caligula.and.Chill
Summary: All rivers flow to the sea, all allies come together-at some point. The Dragonborn didn't solve all of Nirn's problems on their own. It takes more than just one to write the Era's wrongs and open up the future. As the Dovahkiin rises to Alduin's challenge, allies rise around them. Champions, Guildmasters, killers, heroes, and the dead come together to save the world.
1. Chapter 1 - Reaching for Masser

_I take you now to a place far from the Hists of Blackmarsh, far from the sands of Elsweyr and the greenery of Valenwood. I take you now to a place less ruined than Morrowind, less powerful than the Isles of Summerset, but just as torn as the planes of Cyrodiil. I take you now to a place gentle towards Orc-kind but outside Malacath's domain, to a place that rivals the beauty of Hammerfell, to a place less refined than the halls of High Rock. I take you to Skyrim where tensions are boiling, making steam in the snow. Where blood is spilt more readily than mead. I take you to the sewers of Riften, the wasteland of Winterhold, the pristine of Solitude, the swamps of Morthal. I'll show you the architecture of Markarth, the poverty of Windhelm, the melancholy of Falkreath, and the promise of Whiterun._

_ \- Found just North of the border in an old tomb. The page was held in a ragged copy of The Book of the Dragonborn._

* * *

Chapter 1: Reaching for Masser

"Oh, and how many thieves _do you know _that could bring an entire Guild back from the brink and please a Daedra?" Amestris bragged, quietly. Her voice would be the only thing to get her in trouble as her feet were perfectly silent. She moved to the edge of the sewer, readying her magic to allow her sight in the dark. She closed her eyes to darkness but opened them to perfect sight. The images of the sharp edges of Blackreach's architecture and the strange fauna that grew there became perfectly clear to her.

Inigo laughed, low and raspy. "Will you ever not be so proud, my little Breton thief?" Inigo, being a Khajiit, didn't need magic to gain sight in the dark. "Thank the Gods you are good at magic or I'd have to leave you behind."

"And thank the Gods you're a Khajiit, or I wouldn't have you as a partner. Period."

"We should keep moving, don't you think?"

Amestris snorted, readying and raising her bow. She drew a perfectly black arrow from its quiver, readying it against the string. "It's not as though someone's going to beat us to it." The arrow let out a soft hiss as it cut through the air, burying itself in the eye of a Falmer. He was far off but any number of Falmer, even one, were a serious threat.

"True but," Inigo flexed his claws around his bow, "I'd hate to have any more run-ins with Falmer or…one of those giant screaming contraptions."

"Screaming?" Amestris had to stifle her laughter, to which Inigo growled at her. "I guess I understand your meaning. They do…let out a lot of…loud noises."

And with that, Inigo dropped out of the sewer opening and onto a stone platform.

They hiked up to the balcony, taking out the occasional Falmer here and there. It seemed that there were no Dwarven machines left to wake. Which was unsurprising to the two thieves, seeing as they had taken out two scores of Falmer on their way in. After hundreds of years of back and forth, it only seemed sensible that there weren't many left to fight.

As they climbed, Amestris contemplated the sexuality of Falmer-kind. Being elves and conforming to a culture, they had to have had rituals at one point. There had to have been an attractive image of a lady snow elf in the minds of males looking for a female. One could only imagine, in horror, how mating happened between them now.

"No way!" Inigo hissed at just above a whisper as he crouched at the very highest point of the city.

Though he had in no way given up their position, it was a sure sign to Amestris that something was very wrong. Just the slight hike in his voice was something Amestris wasn't used to hearing. "What? What is it?" She moved hurriedly towards him, eyes laying on a field of magic encasing the orb and attempting to pull it down.

"Elias, I need your support on this! Let Phinis handle the damn Falmer!" A female's voice called—it was loud but perfectly calm.

"Fuck, it's Lady Dedlock!" Amestris seethed, keeping her voice low. As long as they weren't seen then they still had the upper hand.

Elias, or so Amestris assumed as she could not see details clearly from this point, summoned a Flame Atronach before hurrying to Lady Dedlock's side. The field encasing the 'sun underground' (or so it was called) grew brighter and began to give.

"Those idiots!" Inigo groaned, "They're not compensating for the stone ceiling!" Before Inigo could say anymore, Amestris had let an arrow soar. It was lined up perfectly and would've struck the Dunmer mage somewhere in the abdomen had Elias' Atronach not intervened and turned the arrow to ash.

There was no concealing their identity now, their single shot at success had been thwarted. Both thieves stood and once more drew their arrows. Their targets had stopped trying to tug the orb down and turned their focus in the thieves direction. "Lady Dedlock," both arrows streamed through the air, deflected by magic. "What an odd coincidence that you should be trying to steal the same thing as I."

"Steal? I'm no thief, Thief. I killed for this object fair and square."

Amestris and Inigo both roared in laughter. "Whether you killed for it or not, it isn't yours and therefore you are stealing."

"Even," laughed Inigo, "even children know that!"

Lady Dedlock and Elias began flinging ice and fire their way, to which Amestris was quick to react. She cast a drop zone on the platform thirty feet below them, grabbing Inigo to yank him off the ledge with her. The air around their feet became cushioned as they dropped and landed upright, without a scratch or bruise. No sooner had they landed than did Amestris create a ward before the two of them. And a good thing she did as the two mages never stopped hurling their destructive magic.

Inigo and Amestris made use of the routine that they had practiced for the next instance in which they ran into Lady Dedlock. Amestris increased the power of her ward and made a charge with Inigo behind her, his two swords drawn. She rolled to the side as Inigo jumped, attempting to plunge the weapons directly into Lady Dedlock's ally, Elias. Elias had cast a wall of flame around himself just in time, repelling Inigo backward with singed fur.

All the while, Amestris slashed at Lady Dedlock with a dagger in one hand and attempted to electrocute her with the other. Lady Dedlock made the dodging look easy as she ducted and slipped from one side to the next, her glorious mane of hair flourishing behind her dramatically with each movement. It seemed she was getting tired of all the running and, raising two fists full of flame, caught the hand which wielded magic against her. Lady Dedlock pressed her magicka to its limit, burning Amestris enough for her to yell and kick away.

"Amestris!" Inigo yelled from across the courtyard. Clutching a bleeding, burnt arm, Amestris used the last of her magicka to heal herself. She left only the tattered fabric as a sign that she had been burnt.

"I'm fine!" She called back, never drawing her attention from Lady Dedlock. "I'd be foolish to think I could out cast you, Lady Dedlock." She drew two slender swords. "But you'd be a fool to think you can dodge my blades."

Amestris hurled herself at the Dunmer in a whirl of fast-moving ebony. Lady Dedlock could only deflect with her magic, knowing that to try and dodge Amestris would get her killed—or at the very least, cut.

"Centurion!" Phinis' frantic voice yelled. The fighting four stopped, all looking towards him.

"Well…it's time for Inigo and I to make our escape. Let me know if you succeed in taking the Sun, it'll be much easier to steal from you anyway." Lady Dedlock went to grab for Amestris but the woman had used the power granted to her by Nocturnal and made herself invisible. Inigo, in the same manner, downed a potion before Elias could blast it away from him and disappeared from their view.

"Lady Dedlock," Phinis began, the earth-shaking stomps of the contraption putting him off balance, "we should leave too."

"You may leave if you want, Phinis. I don't yet have what I came here for."

"What do you think all of that was about?" Inigo asked as they slowed their horses into a walk.

Amestris snorted. She had been thinking about it since the moment she saw Lady Dedlock there. It was no coincidence that the leader of the Thieves Guild and the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, sworn enemies, would meet in a place like Blackreach. The only time they had ever run into one another was when one of them wanted to, usually with the intent to maim the other. Which led her to believe this instance was no different.

"The person requesting this job was anonymous, quick to give a down payment, and had a very specific date they wanted that orb by…" Amestris began, her blue eyes shifting towards Inigo, expecting him to follow her lead.

"You think that Lady Dedlock set this up?"

"You think differently?"

Inigo shook his head, "No, it would make sense. But we also don't know why she wants it to begin with. I mean, there would've been easier ways to ambush you. There would've been ways to get to you without me there. And she could've arrived better armed with more reinforcements. To be honest…I think she was just as surprised as you."

While Inigo's reasons made good sense, Amestris had a very hard time believing anything else of her enemy. Lady Dedlock was nearly as cunning and at least as smart as herself. "It could've all been an act…a way of trying to kill me without making me hate her even more."

"That's nonsense, my friend. What would Lady Dedlock care if you hated her all the more? She might even want it."

"Or it may have simply been to prove she was a better thief than I…" That seemed even more likely than Lady Dedlock trying to kill her. It was more true to their relationship—trying to prove one better than the other.

"Now that I would believe. But I think I'll be sticking with my original opinion, that it wasn't her doing."

"And I with mine, that this is definitely something she would do." But not that she did do it. The only thing that Amestris was quite sure of was that they were both set to go there for a reason.

"You don't plan on giving up though, do you?" Inigo asked.

"Ha! As if!" Amestris laughed, looking to her partner in literal crime. "I hope the Arch-Mage does steal it, it'll be much easier to transport it from the College of Winterhold to our client."

"Good…because I already spent my cut of the down payment…"

They both laughed at this.

It was decided that Amestris would enter the College alone and that Inigo would set up a camp with Thrynn and Sapphire on the coast near the reach of the College. Amestris had allowed only two days to pass—enough time for Lady Dedlock to transport it to the Hall of Elements but not so long as to allow her to do with it what she wanted. It would've been no small feat to get the orb that far and surely, Lady Dedlock would be tired. Hopefully her Master Wizard would be too as, without them, no one else at the College posed much of a threat.

Amestris, dressed in her void black Nightingale armor, scaled the cliff side up to the College. The College always had eyes on Winterhold and the path to the entrance. However, it would've been a waste of energy to watch down the Cliffside. After she made it to the level of the building, it was just a matter of cutting open a window. She slipped into the Hall.

"I love that the Mages think themselves so safe in their College…" Amestris murmured as she gazed at the orb. She raised her arms, focusing her telekinetic magic but—no, something was wrong. She couldn't move, why couldn't she move?

"I never thought you were as full of pride as Lady Dedlock said but…here you are, proving her right," Elias spoke from the main doors. "You aren't the only one who has access to magic and potions—you are aware, right?"

Amestris couldn't even groan, the power of his magic was too strong. But how long could he hold her there? She was strong enough to resist, certainly much more than the average Mudcrab.

"If you're worried for my magicka running out, don't be. Lady Dedlock has made sure I'm heavily supplied and she'll be down long before I can run out. Ah, I should let you speak though." His hold loosened just a little. He summoned a chair to the room, placing it a few feet behind her so that he could take a seat. "I honestly thought you would've figured out that Lady Dedlock was the client looking for the orb."

"Yeah, I had my suspicions but…well, I don't like leaving a job unfinished."

"You already spent our down payment?"

"_Shush_," She hissed, rolling her eyes. At least he had caught her with her back to him, it made this a lot easier not having to look at him directly.

Elias chuckled a little bit, "Greedy, prideful, what else…"

"I'm pretty full of wrath."

"Good one."

"Elias has said you would make wonderful scholar but I've always disagreed with him. You're impatient and foolish. Good scholars are neither." Lady Dedlock said, shutting the door that led to the stairs of her office.

Amestris groaned, "Just kill me. The last thing I need is a lecture."

"I might on any normal day but there's something I need from you. Elias, release her…but be ready to catch her again."

Elias did as he was bid and, to his surprise, Amestris didn't make a run for the window she had broken to enter in. She turned around the picture of collection. "As in a job? As in…you're going to pay me?"

"Yes. But let's not discuss it here. We'll go to the Arcaneum."

Lady Dedlock led the two up to the library, locking the doors around them and lighting the many candles throughout the room in one twist of her hand. "It must be important for you to go through all this effort."

"And for me to request help from my enemy?" Lady Dedlock followed up in response to her.

"Yeah, well that too."

"You're far too casual about everything for my liking."

"I can be business-like. I am professional just…not always in ways that are expected."

"Well then, I guess the less talk the better." Lady Dedlock continued. They stood at the very center of the shelves in a small, intimate circle.

"Agreed," Amestris said, crossing her arms at the woman. "So…this job?"

"I need you to sneak into the Thalmor Embassy and steal some information."

"That's a tall order. What information?" The thought of sneaking into the Thalmor Embassy…there were so many ways to go about it. Surely, Lady Dedlock hadn't dragged her all the way there without a plan of her own though.

"It's information about me."

Amestris' jaw dropped a little as she looked up at the Dunmer woman and then to the Nord man as though either could offer them assurance that this was true. "I'm sorry, perhaps I missed something, what would the Thalmor want with you?"

"I don't know but they do want something."

"We think it might have to do with the incident involving the Eye of Magnus," Elias added. His arms were crossed. Amestris couldn't help but noticing that though he was a mage, he still had the thick features of a Nord. "There was a Thalmor agent here by the name of Ancano. He had attempted to activate the Eye and it resulted in the deaths of both our predecessors and himself. Pretty straightforward really, but we've noticed an increase in Aldmeri involvement in College business. It started not long after the incident."

"Do you think they care about Ancano or the incident itself?"

"Will telling you make a difference in how you obtain the information?" Elias asked, not irritated but rushing their interaction.

"The more I know, the better."

"No, the less you know the better." Lady Dedlock responded. "I won't tell you how to do your job, but in this instance, you should know as little as possible. Just don't bring up the Eye or Ancano at the party. Or myself, for that matter."

"Hmph, and why should you trust me not to use this information for my own devices?" It was a pretty obvious question.

"Two reasons: the first being that you want money and success more than you want to destroy me. And secondly, Elias will be going with you. The two of you will be acting representatives."

"I'm sorry, to what?"

"We're going to a party at the Embassy. It'll be the best way to infiltrate it." Elias answered.

_So that was the party she was referring to. _Amestris gave the two of them a reproachful look, "You'll be paying me extra then if I have to look after you."

Elias snorted, very offended by her comment. "We should be paying you less for the free help." She rolled her eyes at this, seemingly hesitant to do such a job. "I'm only there to act as your cover. You're not exactly…"

"Refined," Lady Dedlock threw in.

"Yes, that. Not enough to fit in for long with the Embassy's crowd of Lords and Ladies." Elias finished.

"Apparently you have no idea of my skills as a thief. Thieving doesn't involve just sneaking around stealing shit, my work often requires me to blend in with different crowds." Amestris had to defend herself, she felt. Not to defend herself before an enemy, but before a possible client. Lady Dedlock and the College were fairly rich and if it was personal information that Lady Dedlock was seeking to conceal then she would probably pay just about any price if she felt Amestris competent enough.

"Fine, I won't argue that point." Lady Dedlock reasoned. "But Elias is still coming with you if only to make sure you don't turn on me."

Amestris leveled Elias with her gaze but as he didn't turn away, she let out a small sigh. Perhaps relief, perhaps exasperation. "When is this party?"

"A week from tomorrow," Elias answered. "We'll meet in Solitude. You'll be responsible for dressing yourself in the correct clothing. Also…" He looked to Lady Dedlock for the rest of the explanation.

"You should recognize that whatever persona you use while there might have to be donned again so—"

"Keep it simple, don't fuck up their opinion of me." Amestris interrupted.

"Not interrupting would probably help with their opinion of you." Lady Dedlock added, her deep red eyes staring at Amestris as two endless voids.

"But nothing will better your opinion of me so that's not on my list of concerns right now."

"Fair enough." Lady Dedlock took in a deep breath, "As for your down payment…well, you already received it."

Amestris thought of protesting that, of fighting for more money but they hadn't technically completed their commission. "Fine. But we're doubling what you offered me for the orb."

"No."

"Yes."

"Why should we? This job can't be as hard."

"Sneaking around killing Falmer and Dwarven spiders is child's play. Navigating a party and misleading members of an elite and powerful organization that has the entire continent under their thumb? Less so."

There was silence, a shared look between Arch-Mage and Master Wizard. "Deal." Lady Dedlock relented at last. "Expect a courier message with further instructions in the next few days. They'll leave it at the—oh what's that shithole called—the Ragged Flagon, for you."

Amestris' eyes narrowed, closed lip smirk making its way across her face. "Just to be clear, when this business is done and over with, I'll be out to kill you again."

"I hope so."

"Aye Boss, you hear about that new Guild that started up in the Rift?" Delvin asked as he tipped back on one of the Flagon's chairs, having been in a state of contemplation on the week's news thus far. It had been, by no means, a quiet week.

"I'd hardly call it a Guild, Delvin. More like…" Started Vex, trailing off as she tried to find the word for it.

"A militia?" Delvin continued.

Vex laughed at that, "Yeah, a tiny, rogue militia."

"The ones calling themselves the Dawnguardians?" Asked Vipir, standing near the table, examining his blade in between polishing it.

Everyone, save Amestris, laughed heartily at this. "It's the Dawnguard, Vip." Delvin corrected, sighing as everyone's laughter settled down. Vipir, a little used to the laughter of the others at his expense, hardly paid any mind to them. "Anyway, you heard of them? Amestris?"

Amestris looked up from the letter she had received no less than twenty minutes before, detailing her heist at the Thalmor Embassy. Her mind was on it solely, a rarity for the Guild leader to be of singular thought on any subject. "Mm, no, I guess I haven't been paying attention. Wait—did they set up shop in the old fort out beyond the valley?"

"Aye. Apparently, they've been goin' at it for years. But they only got their first real kill a few days ago." Delvin continued, grabbing a toothpick from one of his vest pockets and beginning to put it to work. "Slaughtered a den of vampires outside the town of Morthal. Pretty handy work, apparently."

"A militia of vampire hunters then? Do they hunt other things?" Amestris inquired, handing the letter in Inigo's direction. The blue cat moved from the bar to snatch it from her before returning to his seat.

"Probably? There are vampires in Skyrim but not enough to make a living off hunting. Especially with the reach of the Vigilant's." Vex offered, sliding her chair back to kick her feet up on the table in much the same way that Delvin did.

"Oh, so ya' didn't hear about that either then?" Delvin asked Vex, having thought she was as up to speed as he. And maybe gloating just a little that she wasn't.

"The Hall of the Vigilant in the Pale burnt to the ground. The guard up there found the corpses of a few vampires and their hell dogs." Vipir said, stealing the thunder out from under Delvin.

Amestris' brows raised, her arms crossing over the foreign leathers of her armor. "Now that I did hear about. I have to wonder what these Dawnguardians, as Vipir calls them," there's a few snorts at that, "are about. I mean, if they were smart, they might've done that themselves. But, if they're noble, then that would have just been an unhappy coincidence."

"I don't see how it applies to us." Vex noted.

"Vampires tend to hoard antiques and gold…if we found out which dens were being targeted, we could clear out the goods while the Dawnguard is clearing out the bloodsuckers." Amestris said with a grin.

"Exactly," Delvin said with an even bigger grin as he set his legs on the ground. "Shall we start drawing up some plans?"

"Absolutely. We'll want someone inside the Dawnguard though, to see if it's even worth it. Maybe send…" Amestris had to think of who would be a suitable candidate for such an organization. It would be a brutal place, dangerous work but it would ultimately pay off. She would've picked Dirge, he would fit in well with those types but he wasn't an official member of the guild and Vekel wouldn't have it. "No, no, we'll need at least two correspondents. Thrynn for sure and…" She looked back towards the center of the Flagon, "Tonilia."

"You think Ton will go for that?"

"For the right price, yes. Besides, she's an enchantress and a good tradesman. I don't doubt that the Dawnguard could make use of her skills. She'll just be in charge of getting plans to us, while Thrynn will tell us if the goods are worth it."

Vex looked at her with surprise, "And why not me instead of Tonilia?"

Amestris smirked, always appreciating Vex's eagerness for riches. "You'll be running the Guild while I'm gone, I need your focus here."

"And where exactly are you going?" Normally Brynjolf handled the role of Guildmaster while Amestris went on heists, so this must've been something else. Something bigger than the usual.

"Don't worry about it. But I will be gone some time…I think." In theory, it shouldn't take more than a few days but Amestris had this gut feeling that their planning would be waylaid. And if not, well a week's vacation in the hold of Falkreath wouldn't kill her.

Inigo reappeared behind her with the letter in hand, "You should take someone from the Guild as your carriage driver. I think that would be fair."

Amestris nodded him as she took the letter. "You're right." She stood, looking between Delvin and Vex. "I expect plans to be set in motion by the time I get back…and for the Guild to still be, well, a Guild." She left the day after tomorrow but between their work and her own, she highly doubted they would all have another chance to speak with one another.

The Breton thief headed back to her private quarters in the Cistern to draft a letter back. They would be leaving the day after tomorrow and likely not expecting a last minute change. Amestris figured the reason for Lady Dedlock's letter arriving so late was to avoid such changes but, sad to say for her, Amestris would not fly that way.

_ Lady D—_

_ I understand the information you have sent and only have one change to request. That is, _

_we will take my driver to avoid any strain on your own. He'll be meeting us in the same place as intended. Notify your subordinate as soon as possible. See you at the posted date._

_The Gray Fox _

Amestris smirked at the entirety of the letter, picturing Lady Dedlock opening it. It was just another way of foiling her, Amestris supposed. No doubt, Lady Dedlock would be infuriated but there was also little doubt that she wouldn't comply with the request. Surely even the high and mighty Arch-Mage would see it a reasonable request for her to be back by one of her own.

In truth, it was hardly a matter of distrusting whomever Lady Dedlock would have doing the driving. But Amestris felt far more comfortable relying on the abilities one of her own.

"Niruin! I have a job for you!"

It was early evening when Amestris stepped out of the Winking Skeever in a light blue garment. A dress the danced around her sensible shoes and clung to both her hips and chest. Not without, of course, showing a little bit of skin. The arms were cut down the tops and clasped with two ornate broaches on either side. A cloak of gold hung around her shoulders, bearing fine Breton detailing down the edges in a paler shade. Her hair was pinned a classier bun than usual, every piece save for two curls around her temples were pulled above her neck. She was the picture of high society. The shock of looking in the mirror and seeing no war paint still clung to her mind though. It was just so odd…to see her face so naked when she was doing a job. It had been some time since she'd had to employ these sorts of thieving techniques.

It must've been a shock to Niruin too, for when she made her way down to Katla's farm he had himself a laugh. "I swear to the Divine's that if you breathe a word of this to anyone of note—"

"I hardly recognize you, Almali." Elias' voice, deep and calm, said from the stables behind her.

"Is the alias quite necessary?" Lady Dedlock had said nothing of it in her letter…in fact, she said nothing about the role that Amestris was expected to play. "And I wouldn't have recognized you either if it weren't for…well no, you're a rather plain looking Nord. I barely recognize you on a regular basis."

He didn't, in fact, look plain. The tunic he wore was made of gold thread that matched Amestris' strikingly well. It had deep brown embellishments on it that matched his pants and boots. A cloak made from the fur of a grizzly hung off of his shoulders, though the fur had been thinned to make it look lighter. "We can talk about it on the ride up," he said, disregarding her comment on his appearance.

"Yes, and we can talk about what role I'll be playing tonight while we're at it."

"Of course." He reached into his pocket, "I'd like for you to wear this." It was a circlet of thin silver, beautiful but simple. It had a soft tint of blue to it which matched Amestris' dress quite well and complimented the gold rather than clashing with it. "It has an armor enchantment on it…just in case."

"Oddly sweet of you." She said as she took it and adjusted the two loose strands to lay over it.

"It would look bad if you died with Lady Dedlock's dossier on your person…which brings me to my next point. Steal some other documents besides Lady Dedlock's while you're in there. It's important that it appears as though whoever broke in wasn't sure what they were looking for."

Amestris nodded at this, "Tactical."

"Not to rush you guys but it will take about two hours to get up the mountain," Niruin called from the front of the carriage.

Amestris nodded to the carriage, "Explain why I can't use my real name." She had this vision of, someday, someone piecing together all this heist related crimes and finding it to be her. She wanted to go down as Skyrim's most prolific thief and that could only be done if her name was left from place to place.

"It's a twofold answer." He offered her a hand up into the carriage, which she took but released just as soon as she could. He followed her, taking a seat beside her. Using magic, Elias drew the cover over the carriage. It was cold and he didn't want their hair being mussed on the ride over. It would take away from the illusion.

"Perfect, an hour for each fold," She joked.

"If there's anyone who has run across your name and connects it with your profession, we'll be immediately escorted out." It was a simple answer, and reason enough for her to use an alias.

"I suppose I hadn't thought of anyone there having underworld involvement…go on."

"Well, and there's the other thing…" He paused, licking his lips as he turned towards her. His face was clean shaven—was it always so? Amestris began to think on that, realizing she rarely paid much attention to him. "Lady Dedlock and I think it would be better if you weren't connected to the College as a student." It was logical in that, if she were caught, it would be an easy traceback. "But rather, perhaps, if you were my wife…your presence would both make sense and raise less suspicion around the both of us. You wouldn't want your real name associated with that, would you?"

Amestris cocked a well-contoured brow at him. "That is by far the worst proposal for marriage I've ever received."

"She's lying, it's not!" Yelled Niruin from the front.

"I am lying, it's not."

"I'd really like to revisit that story later but for now—"

"Fine, Almali, wife of Elias the Master Wizard it is. But I suppose you didn't marry Almali for novel reasons. Perhaps I'm the daughter of rich and powerful mage of High Rock."

"And on a tour of Skyrim we met?"

"At the College, of course." She responded. "And you, a beastly Nord, took me back to your hovel in the mountains and raped me before a statue of Tiber Septim, forcing me to become your slave-wife."

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a personality that only a mother could love?"

"No, but then I don't have a mother so."

"Hmph, me neither," Elias responded, feeling no remorse for his comment.

"Ah, well that explains why no one has ever told you that you have a face only a mother can love. They probably didn't want to be insensitive." Amestris smirked very easily, and Elias chuckled and leaned back.

"So, we fell in love. Shall we lead them to believe I married you for money?" He asked, knowing that she would probably think it a fine idea.

"Only if lead people to also believe that I only married you to rebel against my father," Amestris said.

"Do you even have a father?"

"No, but Almali does."

Neither, though they weren't prepared to recognize it, had never felt quite so easy about talking like this. Even with Inigo, her best friend, Amestris had never been able to talk about her bastard status as though it were nothing important. And outside of Lady Dedlock, no one at the College even knew that Elias had been orphaned since (more or less) birth.

The rest of the ride consisted mostly of talking their history over, which became detailed but simple. Both were talented illusionists, and this was only a shade of that. The difficult part would be figuring out an excuse for her to slip away for a time and figuring out how to get back. But, as with any improvisational based planned, the little details like that would fall into their laps. Or so, Amestris assured him.

Their arrival came just at dusk, the last light fading from the sky. They were up high enough to see about the tree line, to feel the brittle chill of the true North's air. Goosebumps covered Amestris' arms where her skin showed. The thought of her being cold wouldn't have even passed through Elias' mind had he not held her hand in helping her down.

"Welcome, may I see your invitation?" A Thalmor agent greeted them, the bright white of his teeth matched the snow around them almost eerily well.

Elias produced it from a pocket inside his tunic. He wrapped an arm around Amestris' shoulders as he handed it off. "My wife is quite cold, I hope there's a fine fire going inside." Elias was intent on rushing him—and perhaps sensitive to the fact that the Breton girl was cold. Of what he knew of her—which was a surprising amount thanks to Lady Dedlock—she had lived most of her life in the Reach and then the Rift. And though it got chilly in both places, it hardly matched the cold of this part of Skyrim.

"Of course, my Lord." The agent handed the fake invitation back just as quickly, motioning for them to take the stairs up.

A thin Bosmer boy swept at the snow, nearly jumping to get out of their way. Amestris' eyes stuck to him for a second, prompted away at a squeeze from Elias. "Try not to pay the Bosmer here any mind…don't forget whose presence we're in." He whispered to her.

His hand only released the woman when they were inside, slipping behind her to unlatch her cloak and hand it off to another Bosmer. He carefully took both cloaks into a large closet at the entryway.

Amestris took Elias' arm, the arm quickly getting into form to hold her on it. Were they being too clingy to one another? Amestris had rarely improvised such relationships and had never been in anything so serious as even an engagement. But it would be better to be a little too clingy than stand-offish. At least, when clingy, people tried not to look at you. And they were young, wouldn't it be expected that they weren't as tempered? Ah yes, and it would certainly play to their characterization.

"Welcome, I don't believe I've hosted you at any of my parties…" It was Elenwen, trying her damnedest to not sound rude at garnering an introduction from him.

"Elias, Master Wizard at the College of Winterhold." There was an 'ah-ha' moment that passed across her face at his title. She seemed quite pleased, noted Amestris. "And this is my wife, Almali." Amestris curtsied slightly, paying respect.

"Lovely to meet you both. Please, feel free to mingle with the other guests, only a few have yet to arrive." Elenwen passed on them as she moved to greet a Redguard coming in behind them.

Elias' hand moved to the small of Amestris' back, ushering her along into the large receiving room. "She took to us well enough," it seems. Amestris smiled a smile that didn't look like her own. "Is that, oh Divines…" Maven Black-Briar stood at one corner of the room, sipping wine and observing the other guests.

"Who is that?" Elias asked, following her gaze.

Amestris turned to him slightly, "You don't know the matriarch of the Black-Briar family?"

"As in, the mead?"

"Yes. But, more importantly, she's one of the most feared people in Skyrim's high society." Maybe even, all of Tamriel. Amestris wasn't afraid of her, but she was cautiously wary.

"Best you avoid her."

"Obviously," Amestris' eyes wandered the room for others she recognized. Unlike her partner, she was good with faces. "There's the Jarl of Whiterun…Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone, a few Thanes from various holds…I'm surprised Jarl Elisif isn't here." At that, Amestris noticed a chance in Elias' body language. It was only for a passing moment. Did he have beef with the Empire? Well, she supposed he lived on the right side of the country if so.

"Beg your pardon, did I hear right that the two of you are from the College of Winterhold?" The voice and accent of a male Altmer carried behind them, the two turning to find just that. He was tall, even by Altmer standards and dressed in the classic Thalmor uniform. There was something about him that struck Amestris as particularly regal. And…different from the Thalmor she normally encountered. And not to mention, the blade he wore at his belt seemed familiar to her.

"I'm the Master Wizard there, and this striking beauty is my wife."

"Almali—unaffiliated with the College…well, mostly." She smiled, nodding softly to her 'husband'. Amestris offered her hand, which the agent took to kiss the back of. He nearly had to double over in order to reach it even with giving it a small lift.

"Where are my manners? My name is Eros, I'm second in charge of Skyrim's bounty division." Dangerous indeed, Amestris thought. "My first in command is around here somewhere if you're curious to meet her."

"I think we should be quite taken with talking to you," Amestris said pleasantly.

"Glad to hear it. So, Almali, are you familiar with High Rock customs?" It was a polite way of trying to gauge where she was from. Had Amestris really been herself, not Almali, she would've toyed with him.

"Very much so, I was raised among the nobility there."

"Interesting. I can never get enough of fine Breton cooking, as no one can. But that begs the question, how did the two of you come to meet?"

"Well for my birthday, I was nine and ten at the time, my father thought it best that I get a feel for the world. So he sent me on a tour. Skyrim was the last country I was to visit and I had always been so curious about a College of magic here in the Nordic North." Amestris leaned in a little, "My husband knows I mean no offense but…Nords aren't particularly blessed with the gift of magical ability like…well not like fine Altmer as yourself are."

Elias felt almost uncomfortable with the flattery that Amestris was giving the Altmer. It was so suave and beautifully laid out that he thought she might be serious. However, he restrained the offense he took knowing this was _Almali _talking and not Amestris. "You give my race such credit," Eros commented back.

"As it deserves. Ah—Elias, would you mind procuring me a glass of Colovian brandy? It's not often we come to parties." Amestris said back at the Altmer, who seemed absolutely enamored by the idea of her company. His interest had brought forth an idea for her, a plan.

Elias took that as it was meant to be taken—she wanted him out of the picture for a bit and so he dutifully went to retrieve her drink. Though he would take his time, as much as he wanted to see her progressing in her art. Perhaps he could strike up some conversation, angle a way to a distraction…

"Back to the subject of…oh my, what were we talking about? How impressive Altmer magic is?" She said with a little, flirtatious laugh which Eros gave a slight smirk in return to. "I mean, just to think how Breton's came to be…you are familiar?"

"Quite. If you would allow me to be a little…crass," he tipped his head, to which she twitched her smile in response, "Bretons were born from the passions of my ancestors and men."

Amestris laughed little, "Indeed. And when I think of that well…" She forced a flush to her cheeks, "Well the second thing I think of is how wonderful it is to have such magic ancestry coursing through my own veins."

Eros was feeding into this quite heavily, having a genuinely good time. It wasn't often that these parties proved more than a formality for the Thalmor. But, having already seen that Viscaria was enjoying herself in talks with an Imperial man it hardly seemed wrong that he should let an innocent creature like this draw out his imagination. "And what's the first?"

She forced more of a flush to her cheeks, though it wasn't wholly fake. Eros was an attractive elf and saying such things to him, though she didn't actually think them as she said she normally did, made her think of them now. "Well…I mean, we've only just met and…" Amestris trailed off, touching her the dip of her collarbone.

"You don't have to tell me but I should like to know." He prompted.

She smirked, shaking her head. "Very well. I often think first of the very act itself…an elf laying with his human concubine."

Eros raised his brows pleasantly, "For such a wholesome girl," he referred to her marriage, "you have some intrusive thoughts. Though I should be lying to say that I hadn't thought of such things."

"Oh? Even you? An upstanding Thalmor agent?" She edged just a little closer, "Tell me, have you ever been able to…well, to live out such a fantasy?"

The color in the Altmer's cheeks became apparent, though he managed to regain control much more quickly than any human would've. "I haven't had the…pleasure of doing so, no. And I'm guessing you never will?"

Amestris shrugged in a slow, somehow sensual way. "I'd like to think I will…" Her eyes dragged over him, bottom lip catching for a moment on her teeth. The timing was perfect to see Elias in talks with some Imperial noble. "You wouldn't happen to know of a room in which such a thing might be possible?"

"Here? Within the embassy?" She nodded, and he smirked. "Well normally it's off-limits to guests but…I almost feel as though this should count as research for the betterment of my race. Wait here a moment…"

How long had it been since Eros had last lain with a woman? Excluding Viscaria, of course. Sleeping with her was purely to further his mission. And he hadn't been lying when he had told Almali that he had never slept with a Breton. In truth, he had never thought of what occurred between the Direnni elves (his ancestors) and the Nedes (human ancestors of the Bretons) to be so sexually stimulating in nature. Well, not until Almali had phrased it so.

She was a fine little thing, he thought to himself as he let her pass him on the stairs. His eyes followed the sway of her plump hips closely, his body reacting to such attention to detail.

The moment the door closed to his quarters, he was on her. His long, slender fingers feeling her relatively small figure. Eros' eyes bore down into hers as she tugged at his clothes. He pressed her back towards the bed. As they started to fall, she caught his lips, her tongue licking softly at his. "Aedra, you are a minx." He hissed as her hips began to grind against his as though it were second nature to her.

And for Amestris, it was nearly second nature. She enjoyed sex and had never been taught to conform to the norms of most societies. While Nord and Forsworn society were quite relaxed, Altmer and Breton society had more conservative views on the subject. And, had it not been for the mission, she very well would've had Eros. But she had far too much to lose. "How do you want me?" She moaned, moving to kiss at his collarbone, biting the exposed skin.

He groaned in response, so many positions passing through his mind but what would be the first?

"Please tell me how you're going to take me," she pushed, wanting his guard to be as low as possible.

To Amestris' surprise, he rolled her beneath him and slid her dress halfway up her body—finding that she wore nothing beneath. He paused for a moment, surprised, in awe even. In a shock of fear that he might peg her as not, in fact, Breton high society, she hit him with a paralysis spell that knocked him backward off the bed. "Nocturnal, that was close…" She sat up, checking to see that he was out. She scrambled to right her dress and put on her shoes.

There would be maybe ten minutes between now and his awakening. Which meant she had twenty before he would likely come back and note her absence at the party. Even so, she highly doubted he would tell any of his superiors that he left the party to have relations with the Breton wife of an important guest. She laughed at the thought.

The room she wanted was just across the courtyard, Elenwen's Solar. No doubt, the building housed more secrets than the ones Amestris sought. Amestris moved in, clinging to the shadows of the night to avoid the guards patrolling the walkways. Getting to the Solar would be less difficult than getting back to the main building, there were far more blindspots for herself when heading the other direction. But she still had her powers as a Nightingale to borrow, which she would reserve until then.

The Solar might've been an easy in and out had there not been a small number of guards there. It would've been too risky to knock them out. Unlike Eros, their stories of someone paralyzing them would be shareable. Amestris took all the time she could, as well as all the risks she could. Once she made to the safety of Elenwen's study, she breathed a little easier. No guard would wander in unless she was heard. With her stealthiest movements, she went through drawers and chests but found nothing.

She sat beside a bookshelf, thinking of where else it could be… By her count, she needed to head back in four minutes. Where oh where… And then it struck her! She crept towards the desk, finding a small safe built into the stone flooring. With the ease of a practiced thief, Amestris picked the lock. She grabbed every little journal inside, flipping them open until she found mention of a Lady Dedlock. There were four journals in total and Amestris took all of them.

Quickly, she summoned her deep storage, dropping them into the blackness before closing it and making her way back to the courtyard. Not wanting to risk anything, Amestris cloaked herself in Nocturnal's gift, making it all the way down to the kitchen door before she rose.

"Hey! What are you-!" A Khajiit chef began to yell as she walked through to the door that led out into the main room. Amestris said nothing—none of the Altmer here would care about anything a beast-race had to say. Sad as it was, Amestris would use that to her advantage.

Elias saw her enter the room immediately but he was smart not to jump at her. The party was still quite crowded and her entrance went unnoticed. Slowly, they made their way to one another. "We're set for departure," Amestris said quietly. "But we should probably stay for a little longer as to not raise suspicion…" At least until another guest left. Amestris could only hope that one would be leaving soon.

"I expect a good story on the ride to Winterhold," Elias said, forcing a smile. She looked…bothered by something. Had he been worrying about her? He wasn't exactly one to read peoples expressions, or not to go looking to do so but he had looked for Amestris'. Maybe he was just taking to the business of thievery better than he thought.

She smirked a little in response. "I'm going to go speak with Jarl Idgrod." Amestris felt very dirty having lured Eros in such a way. She wasn't sure what it was about that particular instance…but she felt somehow violated by her own lack of morals.

Elias stared after her for a long moment, before composing himself.

Jarl Idgrod was kind enough to leave at Amestris' hinting, she feigned illness. After her a few more left, which made their leave perfectly normal. And none too late either. Eros had just reentered the hall when they were donning their cloaks. As far as Amestris knew, he hadn't seen her.

It was well past nightfall by the time they got into the carriage. "I told Niruin to stop in Dragon Bridge, just in case something does come of this."

"Come of what?" Elias was confused, and it told in his voice.

She supposed this would probably be the safest place to tell him. "I lured Eros back into the bedrooms under the impression that I was going to sleep with him."

Elias was not surprised just…impressed. He had left them alone maybe twenty minutes and she had seduced a Thalmor agent. "And then what?"

"I knocked him out before we got intimate."

"Knowing that he wouldn't go to Elenwen?"

"Yes." Normally she might go on and on about the logistics of it but she just felt tired. Amestris opened her deep storage, retrieving the documents. She handed Lady Dedlock's over to Elias. "I'm going to hold on to the other three, you never know when such things will come in handy."

Elias tried to laugh, "You sound like Lady Dedlock."

Amestris smirked a little, "I hope not." Amestris thought it strange that Elias would just tuck the book in his pocket without even checking if it were the correct one. She was getting paid, so perhaps he relied on her greed to make her do the right thing. It would've been nice to peak at the specifics on Lady Dedlock. Maybe she was a little jealous: even the Thalmor weren't after the leader of the Thieves Guild.

"So you're not even a little curious about what's written in here?" He patted his breast, where the journal was stored.

"Me? Curious?" She smirked, nearly being thrown from her seat as the carriage hit a bump. Elias, she noted, didn't even budge. Fucking Nords.

("Sorry!" Niruin yelled.)

"Who said I wasn't?" Amestris pulled her cloak around her, deeply chilled by the wind slipping through the fabric. She missed the Reach. It could be chilly but it wasn't bitter like this cold.

Elias shrugged, making a face that suggested thought. "You don't really seem all that curious. I mean, I expected you to have finagled your way into reading the thing or making a copy of it. Or to at least pine at me for information."

"Mm, you know me so well, do you?"

He shook his head, "Better than you realize but still, not so well."

Amestris thought for a moment—registering the sounds outside to signify they were coming into a town. Dragonbridge, most likely. "What would be the fun in letting the Thalmor do my work for me? You're only given one true enemy. It just wouldn't be the full experience if I read that little red book."

"Nobility among thieves…I thought that was just a joke."

Right about now, Amestris expected Niruin to chime in with something along the lines of: 'It still is.' But alas, the wind was too wild for him to hear their conversation.

Niruin opened the secured cloth of the carriage for them, playing the part of a true driver. He helped Amestris down, leading her to the side to make way for Elias. "While the two of you were inside I secured two horses here in town."

"Thank you, Niruin."

"Why do that?" Elias inquired, realizing he had missed something. "No one suspected a thing."

Amestris shook her head at him. "I didn't think it would be worth the time to advise you," Niruin began with a slight sigh, his accent making him sound incredibly arrogant. Which he intended. "A good thief never quits covering their tracks. Amestris packed a change of clothes for the both of you so that your garb isn't recognized on the road. Traveling by horse is another precaution, if they're looking for anyone they'll be looking for people traveling by carriage."

Elias thought it ridiculous and excessive, but he wasn't the professional in this business. "Fine. And we'll head to the College tomorrow?"

"Yes. Of course, I would recommend that we stay at the Frozen Hearth, in Dawnstar but…I doubt Lady Dedlock will have patience."

"And neither will I." He did have an actual job with actual work that had actual deadlines. Unlike her, he couldn't just take time off whenever he pleased.

Amestris smirked at this. "Make sure Vex is keeping those idiots in line for me, will you?"

"If I know Vex, she's probably harder on them than you are."

Amestris couldn't disagree with that notion.

"Only one room? I—"

"Honey, we're _married _now, don't forget. Oh yes, one room will just be fine." Amestris cut in, smiling pleasantly.

"Thank you, m'Lady but…the room only has a small bed. Our room with a double bed has already been rented."

Elias, a little irritated by Amestris' casualness about this and her continued commitment to the roll cut in before she could respond, "The single will be fine—my wife and I are very close." This was her idea anyhow, they would've just gone back to the College if it were his choice.

Amestris felt her eye twitch—her tell. "O-oh, yes. Dearest, pay the kind innkeeper. And, get us some food." Amestris went into the room the woman had directed them to. She shut the door behind her to change into a nightgown. She had chosen the frumpiest piece she had in her wardrobe—a gray wool dress with long sleeves. She had packed for warmth, supposing that she would be sleeping alone but now…

Elias, she presumed, knocked on the door. "Come in." She called, taking a seat on the small bed.

He shut the door behind him. "The food will be ready in half an hour."

"Great, I'd like to put off sleep as long as possible." She began to take her hair down, the black curls falling around her chest and shoulders. When she looked up, she found Elias staring.

He cleared his throat and shook his head, "Agreed. It's too late to get Niruin back now…" He laughed awkwardly and she followed suit. There was silence. "But…" Elias rubbed the back of his neck, "Since we do have to share the bed, do you want to sleep against the wall or at the edge?"

"Oh I hadn't thought of that," she lied. She most certainly had and had hoped he would ask. She looked over her shoulder. "Next to the wall, preferably? I don't want you to shove me off the bed."

"You'd rather I crush you against the wall?"

"If I had to choose? Yes."

Elias laughed at how utterly ridiculous her responses could be. "Don't worry, I sleep pretty peacefully."

Amestris stood, sucking in air through her teeth for dramatic effect, "And lucky for you, I'm half your size. My kicks and tossing will hardly affect you." She pushed by him, "I'm going to have some mead. I put your clothes on the table."

The clothes that she referred to consisted of a simple grey tunic, alike in shade to Amestris' dress, and black pants.

By the time he left the room, their dinner had been laid out on a table before Amestris. Together they ate and polished off several bottles of mead before stumbling back to their shared room.

Amestris fell back on the straw bed, groaning at how uncomfortable it was. She squeezed herself as far to the wall as possible to make room for him.

Elias couldn't help but laugh at her groans, "Aren't you used to being in an uncomfortable position?" Always being crouched over could not have been good for her back.

"Yes but that's why I have an expensive mattress." She wrestled herself under the bear pelt, opening it up for him.

Doing his best not to think about it too much, Elias slid in beside her. He thought the inn quite warm, but her slight shivering told him she wasn't of the same mind. "And a stack of blankets thicker than the ice in Winterhold's ice field?"

Amestris rolled her eyes, "I was made for the moderate temperatures of High Rock."

"Mm, is that so?" It brought to mind another question, "Lady Dedlock has never mentioned where you grew up." He propped his head up on one arm, watching her eyes as they followed shapes in the darkness.

"I grew up in the Reach, actually. I've never been to High Rock." But she had read about it. And thought about it. And imagined where her parents might live. Perhaps in the quaint homes of Wayrest, or the quiet nestings of Northpoint. Or maybe, and Amestris liked this best, they slept in the beds of Daggerfall's Thieves Guild chapter. She'd like to think that they existed at all. And that they thought of her from time to time… But that was only the mead talking.

"As…"

"Yes, as a Forsworn but—oh, why am I telling you any of this?" She looked to him, "You're just going to tell your Lady Dedlock."

Elias shook his head, "No, no I won't. I think anything she wants to know about you she'll find out on her own."

For some reason, Amestris believed him. "Well…I was raised as a Forsworn but I was never a native of the Reach." They were different races at this point—the natives of the Reach and Bretons.

"And how do you know that?"

Maybe a part of her just wanted to believe it to be the truth, that she had a reason to turn her back on those that had raised her. "The people of my tribe told me so. But they were unsure of who my parents really were. Apparently, they found me being held captive by some Orcs."' It got very quiet in their little room. "You said you didn't know your parents either?"

He shook his head, "No, I was sent to Cyrodiil as a child and I…" He hesitated, "don't know who my parents are." It only made sense to lie but her candidness with him made him feel guilty.

If Elias thought anything but a masterfully told lie would slip past her, then he was an idiot. And he was most certainly an idiot. For what reason did he have to lie to her? Everyone had a reason for lying when they did, she knew. But usually, in her experience, it was to get to something they wanted. "I see…"

He sighed, her hesitation alone told him something. "Well, I do know who my father is but I've never met him. He died, a few years ago but…he didn't want to know me anyway. No one's ever been able to tell me about my mother. She died not long after she brought me to Cyrodiil."

Amestris rolled to her side, looking up at him. "Do you think it would be easier not knowing?"

Elias shook his head, "No. But knowing isn't easy either."

"Goodnight, _husband_."

"Goodnight, _wife._"

Elias fell asleep well after Amestris. Every time he would begin slipping into a deep slumber, she would kick him or toss in her sleep so hard that she would wake him. It might've been somewhat cute at first, but after the third or fourth time of her waking him trying to sleep was all he could not to throttle her.

At some point, she had settled down and it allowed him to sleep. When he woke the next day, it was to hot breath against the apple of his throat. "I swear to Mephala…" He growled, brows furrowing in his half-sleep.

When he actually opened his eyes he realized he had Amestris pinned beneath him, his arms holding hers securely to her sides. Surely, he thought, he had reacted to her tossing in her sleep. Or maybe she had been shivering so damn bad that he had taken pity on her in a half-awake state that he didn't remember. She felt quite warm against his skin…

Very delicately, as not to wake her, Elias removed himself from her. The trick was unwrapping his arms without shaking her. He laid on his back, right shoulder and arm dangling off the bed. He breathed a sigh of relief, trying to convince himself to get up. There was no sense in laying here any longer as he was obviously not going to get anymore sleep.

Yet when the wool-wrapped arm of his bedpartner wrapped over his chest and clasped a shoulder, his reasoning went straight out the window. Amestris tugged herself upwards, pressing her face into his neck. He gently pulled the bearskin over the both of them figuring that she had done so in reaction to the morning chill. Or so the soft press of hardened nipples against his chest led him to believe.

It was…cute, in the way that he might find a small animal and certainly not a full-grown woman. It would be wrong of him to wake her by trying to get up and so, he forced himself back into sleep. It was easier this time to do so.

"Elias…Elias…wake-up." Amestris purred, her hand shaking his shoulder.

Elias sucked in air, shaking his head as he sat up so fast that he collided with hers. "Ow—fuck!" She hissed, falling back and gripping her forehead.

"Shit, sorry," Elias said, his hands shadowing hers.

"No, I'm fine, it just surprised me." She said, her hands falling away. Elias' hands replaced them, the familiar cooling of healing magic offering her relief. "Thanks…"

There was an awkward silence between them which led Elias to wonder what position she had woken up to them being in.

"We should…probably go…shouldn't we?"

Amestris nodded, "Yeah, it's going to be a long ride."

They left well before midday, reaching the coast for lunch, Dawnstar for dinner, and Winterhold by midnight. Elias had their horses taken care of at the inn. They wandered on foot up the snowy path to the College.

The day had been a quiet one. What more did two people whose point of being together had run up have to talk about? It wasn't awkward or anything like that…just quiet. During their stop for dinner, Amestris found herself pouring over one of the journals she had taken from the Thalmor Embassy.

The journal was entitled to a Nord woman by the name of Morro—Morro Silverstrand, more accurately. Most of the information went over the locations she had moved to and from. The last entry noting location had three big question marks, dated for the 30th of Frostfall 4E 186. The journal also contained other mundane details like her description—pure white hair, once black, a scar that ran vertically on her jaw, blue eyes, etc. More interestingly, the journal likened her powers to those of something called 'Dragonborn'. The writer referred to this power in the form of 'shouts' but there was little to tell what these shouts did.

It might be a good idea to ask while she was there at the College…surely Lady Dedlock would have something to say about the journal.

The metal door swung open to the beautiful snow-covered courtyard. Amestris walked side-by-side with Elias, knowing the building nearly as well as he. They found Lady Dedlock in her quarters, sitting at the desk. She scratched at her documents with a black quill pen.

"Welcome back," She greeted without looking up. "Do you have it?"

Elias set the red journal on her desk.

She set her document to the side for that. She picked it up, inspecting the shiny leather cover. "You've lived up to your side of the bargain, I'll give you your payment in the morning."

For a moment, Amestris thought to protest but…she could use the time to her advantage. "You trust me to sleep here? Why should I trust you?"

Lady Dedlock stood, tall for a Dunmer. "Because you are a guest here. Killing guests is frowned upon in Nordic culture and as we are in Skyrim…"

"I get it." Amestris cut her off, saving them both the time.

"I hope that you pay the same respect to me, your hostess."

"I have no plans to kill you…and no energy to steal from you. However, I do want some information on this." She pulled out the journal on Morro and handed it over to Lady Dedlock for examination. The act was surprising to Elias. Really, every peaceful interaction they had was surprising to him. "To start, why did the Thalmor collect information on you? I'd guess that it was related to why they have it on her." The Thalmor were an obnoxious lot but they were well organized. They wouldn't mix documents without some fundamental point for doing so.

Lady Dedlock raised a thick brow as she thumbed the pages. "I can't say for sure why. But in general, they collect information on people whom they deem a threat to the Aldmeri Dominion. This Morro woman would've been a perceived threat…but it looks like they haven't been able to track her down for almost twenty years." Lady Dedlock's nostrils flared, "Dragonborn…where have I heard that term before?"

Elias, now leaning on the outside of the Arch-Mage's desk, perked up. "The legend of the Dragonborn is tied in with Tiber Septim's history. Well, the history of all of Tamriel really."

"What is it?" Amestris prompted.

"Dragonborn are people born with dragon blood in their veins. Dovahkiin, kin to the dragon. They can use the magic of the dragons—shouts." He paused, seeing their lack of understanding. "The fire that dragons breathe isn't just fire, it's a shout. Their language is magic, dragon words are infused with power. The Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, can use this same power."

"Forgive me for asking, but is that so special?" Amesrtis asked, trying to grasp what she was being told.

Elias laughed, "Well yes. Technically speaking, anyone can learn to speak the Dragon's tongue and use shouts with years upon years of practice. A lifetime, really. But a Dragonborn has that gift tied in with their very person. They need nothing more than to absorb the souls of dragons to use their gifts."

"There weren't any dragons when this log was first started though…" Lady Dedlock commented, still studying the pages.

Elias shrugged, "Maybe they had suspicions about her power. Tiber Septim was the last Dragonborn and a large part of why Skyrim's now engaged in a Civil War. They wouldn't take a threat like that lightly."

"And they wouldn't have been able to backtrack something so detailed from twenty years ago and beyond." Amestris commented.

"This last date is interesting." Lady Dedlock turned the book over to Elias. "The 30th of Frostfall was the day the Great War started thirty-three years ago—and it would've been just over a decade from the last entry. Perhaps this Morro woman was connected to the Great War somehow."

"Yes, I guess that would be a good place to start," Amestris said, taking the journal back from Elias.

"Start?" Elias followed up.

"I—" Amestris began.

"Don't be foolish. Whatever end you might hope to gain by finding this woman or piecing together what happened would be a fool's errand. If the Aldmeri Dominion can't find her, what makes you think yourself capable of it? And moreover, if you did—by some Divine-given miracle—find her, what then? Your finding her would automatically make her vulnerable to the Thalmor." Lady Dedlock said in a voice so cold and unforgiving that it was hard to see any ounce of compassion in her.

Amestris stood tall against her, "I didn't ask for your help in that regard."

"I wouldn't loathe you so if you had the ability to think beyond your own means."

"And I wouldn't loathe you so if you had an ounce of feeling in you." Amestris fired back. How could Elias have thought any peace might last?

"Your payment will be waiting for you in Elias' room. You're welcome to stay at the College tonight but I'd like you gone before classes resume tomorrow." Lady Dedlock said with finality, returning to her seat at her desk.

"Goodnight, Arch-Mage."

"Good night." Lady Dedlock returned.

Amestris said nothing during the walk back to Elias' quarters. And he didn't go out of his way to make conversation either, seeing that she was still fuming. There was no way someone so hot-headed could be persuaded to stay. She opened her deep storage and dropped the hefty haul into it.

Finally, Elias put it out there, "You should stay and rest. We had a long trip today and I'm sure the horses are still in need of sleep." And he highly doubted there were any to trade out.

Amestris shook her head firmly, hanging off the doorframe. "No. I won't sleep under my enemies roof. Not tonight, not any night."

Elias crossed his arm, his head tilting to one side. "Am I your enemy still?"

Amestris' eyes gazed out into the hallway for several moments. She looked over her shoulder at him, their blue eyes connecting. "So long as you work with Lady Dedlock, yes."

Beneath his closely trimmed stubble, Elias' jaw hardened. "I hope the next time we see one another it's on better terms."

Amestris turned her back fully, beginning down the stairs. "I hope the same." _But I don't think it likely. _ Maven Black-Briar had taught her early on in the Guild to never put your faith in anything. Amestris would not be putting her faith into Elias. She wanted action, she wanted results. After all, we are our actions.

Amestris went back the same way she had come, not even bothering to check the horses as she left the town of Winterhold. She knew they would be too tired—she was too tired.

The most traveled path from there to Riften ran almost directly South of Winterhold, into Windhelm where it followed the river from there. There were a couple of crossings over the river before one would normally cut due East into Shor's Stone. From Shor's Stone, the path was quite direct. But Amestris had no intention of being direct. Frankly, she didn't want to turn around to find Lady Dedlock on her tail. The woman had gotten what she wanted of her, there was no reason not to dispose of the thorn in her side as soon as possible.

So Amestris followed the path down to Stillborn cave and cut off from there. She ran along what would normally be considered the back of the Velothi mountains. It was so odd to be so close to the border of Morrowind that she could nearly smell the smoke of the Great Eruption. "Maybe the reason Lady Dedlock's got such a stick up her ass is because she lost everything in the aftermath…" Amestris mumbled to herself around dawn, stumbling through the thick pilings of snow at the base of the mountains. There was a path there, it was just so rarely trodden that there was no sense in maintaining during the harshest months. "Everyone's got a sob story, Lady Dedlock! Get the fuck over it!" Amestris spiraled into airy laughter.

Exhaustion wasn't taking her body but it was taking her mind.

The nearest stop from there was a Dwarven ruin by the name Kagrenzel. As far as Amestris could remember, her research had suggested nothing special about. Well, nothing worth stealing anyhow. She figured there would probably be some Falmer or maybe some Dwarven machinery, but she'd be able to take out whatever was there and rest in the warm halls. The thought pushed her on well into the evening.

Dawning a particularly steep hill, she found Kagrenzel in her line of sight. The cold rays of Masser and Secunda illuminated the stone structure. It looked white and pure and perfect to the half-dead woman hoping to sleep in it.

Half-dead was as good a description as any. Amestris' lips were chapped and cracking, her skin bearing patches of snow and ice, and her eyes were constantly switching between blurry vision and being rendered completely snow-blind. The only thing that kept her from freezing was her use of fire magic but even that had its limitations while she was on the move. Was it her pride that had put her in this position? No, surely not. Her pride had helped her become Guild Master, had made her leave the Forsworn, had saved her from a life of servitude. She wouldn't blame her current situation on her pride.

Taking in the sight of Kagrenzel in the moonlight provided Amestris with the opportunity to stop and warm herself. She was so very cold… The heat made her sleepy, less aware of her surroundings. But why should she be aware? Every chance she had taken to look over her should have resulted in nothing but making her all the more tired. And now…

Ah, was that how it felt to have one's lung punctured by an arrow?

So warm…so warm…


	2. Chapter 2 - Catching Secunda

**Chapter 2: Catching Secunda **

How much smoke from the fires of allies had touched Amestris' nostrils over the years? She remembered being quite young the first time she had awoken to a fire, finding one of her elders sitting on the other side.

She hadn't fallen asleep in the cleansing tent, so to a young child it was a wonder how she had gotten there. Not something she had approached with anger, as perhaps an adult would, but curiosity. "High Priestess Kaede…I didn't close my eyes to the walls of this tent. How is it I have come here?"

A High Priestess in Amestris' tribe lived in that position for six years before they ascended to the ranks of Hagraven. It was an honored position. Even the Briar-Hearts answered to the warnings and commands of the High Priestess', she was the only one privy to the knowledge of the Old Gods. However, not all High Priestess' were so gifted. If one were to misread a sign or direct the tribe wrong, they would be beheaded by whoever they wronged. Their blood would be drank by the Briar-Hearts and their dismembered parts fed to the wolves.

High Priestess Kaede was on her fifth year. She had guided the clan to spare Amestris' life as a baby and had advised her closely in her youngest years.

The smoke in that tent was heavy, strong, foreboding. Some amount of it, Amestris had always maintained, had stayed caught in her lungs.

"Amestris, as your High Priestess, I need your total and utter confidence. Swear by your belief in the Old Ways that you will not betray me and my words."

There was fear there, a sensation unfamiliar to the feisty orphan girl. "I swear, High Priestess."

Kaede had beautiful emerald eyes, unlike any that Amestris had encountered since. There was a sweetness to them that she never saw in another Forsworn's. "The Gods have graced me with a vision of my death, Amestris. Our people will misread an outcome and blame me for it. My blood will be drunk by the Briar-Hearts and my limbs given to the beasts as so many before me…"

Amestris sucked in a breath, falling forward on her hands. "Priestess, is there nothing you can do to stop this?"

"Nothing that I shall do." Her voice was hallowed, and deep, and feminine, and beautiful. "I tell you this to keep you from lashing out. You know the customs of our tribe. Being a part of this tribe means accepting those Ways no matter what your heart tells you." Her voice reminded Amestris of the silence of a forest, with all its life.

"I…"

"Quiet, sweet girl, I am not finished." Kaede picked up an abalone shell from before her, gathering the contents with her other hand before spreading it on the fire. The scent it let out was one of dried juniper—Amestris knew juniper to have concealment qualities. "My fate and its ramifications are great but yours are greater still."

Amestris straightened up, her palms now resting on her knees as she looked over the flames at her High Priestess. Every time she saw her, Amestris had a habit of counting the points on the great antlers she wore but, this time, she found that the points were blurred in the tent and though she knew there were seven she couldn't be sure that there were still seven.

"If the people of our tribe knew of the power your blood possessed then they should kill you just to drink of it. But they don't know and they will not know, your secret I will take to the grave." She reached for another abalone shell, the contents of which Amestris thought to be dried Deathbells. Deathbells were used for making binding agreements. "I cannot say when, but someday in the years to come you will see a vision of your own, Amestris. You will leave this tribe. _Do not look back_. Know that you have made the right choice in going. Know that, should you face your brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers in combat someday that they have earned the right to die by your hand."

Amestris allowed the silence to settle, wanting to be sure that her High Priestess had finished imparting her decree. The fear she had felt was only half that of what she felt in promising not reveal Kaede's words. Perhaps because she didn't know what it meant, or perhaps because Kaede spoke so confidently. "What is my purpose, High Priestess?"

The changing features on Kaede's face as she stood to lord above the fire would haunt Amestris' nightmares till her dying breath. The hallowed strong and serene voice Amestris had fallen in love with had lost all its qualities. _Hi Daan Dinok Wah Alduin! _She sounded like death incarnate.

"Hey! Living dead girl! It is time to wake up! All your screams of terror are scaring off my birds!"

Amestris' eyes opened and had she been able to gasp for breath she would've but the damage done to her lungs by that arrow made her hardly able to breathe at all. She looked around, confused by both the pain she felt and the unfamiliar surroundings. How had she ended up here? The last thing she recalled was…was…melting snow and the yowls of a cat.

"Over here, living dead girl!" The gray, striped Khajiit called to her. Amestris crooked her head in his direction. "Yes, it's alright. I am not mad but you did seem distressed. I don't think I've ever seen anyone so distressed in their sleep. Then again," he pondered his words for a moment, "this one has never seen anyone murdered by a Dark Brotherhood assassin either."

"Lady Dedlock!" Amestris cursed, the influx and efflux of air burning worse than any Hammerfell spice. She reached for her chest, laying her hand against it and closing her eyes—an action which made the Khajiit chuckle.

"Ah yes, that hurt. Didn't it?" He moved to the fire, pouring warm water into a mug that had rested on the stones beside it. "This Lady Dedlock does not sound like an enemy that this one would want to have." He sat beside her on the thinly padded floor mat, tilting her head up so that she could drink. She choked down the hot water. "That is it, drink and be warm."

After she had managed to get that down, the Khajiit stood once more. He took a seat near her makeshift bed, where she guessed he might've sat to watch over her. "I did what I could but I am no healer. I didn't think you would make it for a good long time. But, ah, here you are. Conscious _and _sane. You are sane, right?"

"I think so." She said in a tone just above a whisper.

"So, who are you? Why were you scaling the wrong side of the mountain?" He asked, leaning over with an elbow on one knee.

It was then that Amestris realized he was dressed in plain clothing and that they were, in fact, inside a home. She closed her eyes, her thoughts making her head spin. "My name is Amestris and I was trying to get home."

It seemed the Khajiit understood that Amestris was not any regular civilian—she was purposed. "Alright, Amestris on her way home, who is this Lady Dedlock that you mentioned?"

"I'm sorry but…first, can I know what happened and…not who you are necessarily, but a name?" She looked at him now, her face tense with pain.

The Khajiit smiled, his perfectly white teeth glinting off the day's light as it streamed through a window. "Yes, that is fair. My name is Lunirius and I killed a Dark Brotherhood assassin to save you. I live here in the Velothi mountains and, to be honest, I had started following you about a mile back before you were shot. The assassin knew that you were coming that way but they did not know that I was following you." He raised his hand as she went to speak. "There aren't many visitors that come through the Velothi mountains who aren't refugees. And certainly, very few of any kind that come through at night in the midst of winter. I only wanted to see what you were seeking. I was actually going to turn back when you stopped at the top of that ridge but…well, it's lucky for you that I didn't." He paused, "You're a lucky girl indeed."

"So I've been told," Amestris managed a smirk. She was, after all, the one who had spit in the face of Lady Luck and come out clean.

"Then I'm sure you have been told that luck can only get someone so far. Your wound needs to be treated, brought to a healer." Lunirius had a voice full of patience, she recognized a little bit of Inigo in him.

"I am a healer." His ears straightened at this, "I just don't yet have the strength to use any magicka."

"Well I am pleased to hear this. I do not like going into the cities and towns here. The Nords are…"

"Unfriendly?"

"To put it lightly, yes."

"Thank you, for saving me…but um…did you happen to find anything on the assassin? If you looked, I mean."

Lunirius chuckled, "She had a very handy blade, which I'll be keeping. But there was also a note. It only designated you as the target—_Leader of the Thieves Guild_—and someone by the initials K-N."

Amestris tried to sit up, making it to the halfway point in which she was propped up on her elbows. He had known and still asked her. "It's not exactly something I go advertising. You never know who admires thieves and who hates them." Usually the latter.

"I once found thieves to be, err, repulsive." His native tongue rolled the r's, a sound which Amestris liked well. "But now, I relate to them more readily than the moons."

The thought of how many Tamrielan's didn't know a Kahjiit's relation to the moon made Amestris question her own knowledge. Inigo had explained, on multiple occasions, the importance that Masser and Secunda's phases played in a Khajiit's birth. It ranged from affecting how human-like they were to their markings. Lunirius appeared fairly average for the Khajiit Amestris knew of—grey hair, some distinctive markings but nothing that compared to Inigo, and features that resembled a man's.

"I have to wonder whose initials they were…"

"Probably the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, no? Or mayhap the person who would have you dead."

Amestris shook her head not in disagreement but in thought. That was the closest she had ever come to death. She had been stuck with arrows, lightning, swords, daggers, axes…but never unexpectedly. "Maybe…"

"Sorry if my assumption appears as rude but…do assassins and thieves not associate?"

"Well…we used to have an agreement with the former leader of the Dark Brotherhood, Astrid. But she died about a year ago." Though Amestris had never actually met her, only known her name. The agreement had been long standing. "I'm not sure if you get much news all the way out…wherever we are…but the Dark Brotherhood was thought to be vanquished for a time. An attack on the Emperor was thwarted and they were nearly slaughtered. But there have been whispers that they had returned." And nothing more.

Amestris often paid some heed to rumors but rarely let them affect her decisions severely. Whether the Dark Brotherhood was in business or not didn't affect her way of life. Well, until now. "So what will you do once you are better?" Lunirius asked, bringing Amestris' mind into the present. He leaned back against the chair, putting an ankle over a knee.

"About the Dark Brotherhood being after me?"

"Naturally. They won't simply give up—a soul is owed to Sithis."

Amestris smirked but only a little, as though doing so would hurt her the same way laughter did. "Hunt them down, root out their new Sanctuary…kill their leader if he isn't willing to reason with me."

At this, Lunirius burst into laughter. His hand laid over his eyes as he continued to laugh. "You _are _an interesting dead girl!"

"Living dead girl, thanks."

"Naturally."

It was a week before Amestris was able to heal herself, her energy was too little and the wound was too extreme. The cold of the Velothi mountains didn't help either. If Amestris had thought the Northern edge of Haafingar to be cold and Winterhold to be freezing, then the Velothi mountains ranged somewhere down in the barren depths of Hell when put on that spectrum. She thought it quite funny that Lunirius actually liked the weather, as he was far more used to warmer weather than she.

"I may always look back on the sands of my birth fondly but they will always be just that. Skyrim is Lunirius' home." He had told her once when she had been strong enough to sit out with him. They had watched the birds chattering away the last of the days light many times over mulled wine and sweet treats.

"It's so strange up here," Amestris had commented once. "It's not lonely yet it's…"

"Not friendly either?" Lunirius was cleaning up their breakfast while Amestris stirred the fire—being the most she could do. "There's no senseless chatter up here. The only words spoken are words needed to be spoken."

Amestris thought she might like that—a quiet life without all the senselessness that she often found in her own life. But then, she wasn't done with the Thieves Guild.

Over the days that followed, Amestris wondered what had led Lunirius to decide he was done with his old life. What sign was it that told one they could be finished and move on?

As they lay on their beds drinking in the silence, Amestris' lung fully healed by her own magic, the question began to take shape in her mouth. "I've tried to keep my curiosity at bay for the sake of politeness…"

"How did Lunirius end up here, you are wondering?" He was really good at that.

She nodded, knowing that he would somehow know her response. He sat up in his bed on the floor beside the bed she occupied and looked towards the window.

"The way I lived had become tedious. I reached a point where slitting my throat would've been easier than looking at myself in the mirror." His pink nostrils flared and he turned his head to look at her. "I was near my breaking point, Amestris. This one could not take more of the life on the road, aiming at nothing. As so many of my kind, I was struggling with skooma addiction and it was winning the battle. Not in my taking it but in my want for it."

Amestris leaned over the edge of the bed, her bare face staring at him in anticipation for an ending or a happy conclusion which brought him here. Or, was here. His long silence twisted her heart, "And then what?"

"I sentenced myself to a life here and that is that. When I am here, watching the birds or the deer, or hunting to live, I cannot think of my own existence. I cannot think of skooma or how badly I want it."

"But what kind of life is that?" Amestris whispered, heartbreak in her throat.

"The kind of life that I have chosen for myself. It is my life."

A new day dawned, Amestris desiring to be its herald. "Thank you, Lunirius. For all that you've done."

"You would have done the same for this one, I do not doubt it."

"Well, even so," she opened a rift in the sky and reached in, pulling out a heavy sack of Septims. "I know you might not find—"

"No, Amestris. I do not want money." He said, putting a paw over the wrist that offered him the sack of coin. "I'd much prefer to think I did this out of goodwill and a sense of rightness."

Amestris had a flurry of emotions pass over her face but ultimately, she looked at him with understanding. No doubt, his old life had involved doing everything—or doing nothing—over coin. Maybe this was a way for him to further turn things around. "Alright…but I must pay you somehow." Her hand dropped the coin back into the rift, offering an empty palm out to him. "I'll pay you back in friendship."

Lunirius grinned, wide and sharp as his hand met hers. "That is a payment I am willing to accept."

"Find your way to the Ragged Flagon in Riften sometime. I'm not sure when I'll be taking a day hike up this way next…"

"We shall see."

Amestris had no doubts that they would see one another again. The bond they had created over the past couple weeks had been special. It wasn't made out of necessity but rather, a want to rely on the other for something. Lunirius gave her shelter of the physical, and she liked to think she had given some shelter to his heart.

She sank one foot into the snow and then the other. Back to Riften. Back to the life that she had chosen for herself.

Amestris remembered the silver circlet Elias had lent her a short way into her descent from the Velothi mountains. She donned it as soon as possible, hoping it might protect her from any more unexpected attacks. Lucky for her, there were no more attacks on her trip home and the walk was wholly uneventful.

When she lowered down the ladder into the Cistern, she hadn't expected much and she was unsurprised.

"Finally back from your vacation, eh?" Bynjolf called to her, shutting the book he was holding. "I think a few of our number were starting to place bets on whether you'd come back alive are not. I'm glad to see you in one piece, though."

Amestris couldn't help but laugh, she would've expected no less of her members. "If I weren't so lucky, a few of them might have earned a few Septims."

Brynjolf looked surprised. "Is that so, lass?"

"Ah-hah! So you bet against me?" She accused, meandering in the direction of her desk to dump off her weapons. She picked up the most recent log of goods.

Brynjolf shrugged, "Only because ya' put yourself in such awful situations. The odds are against you just based on your juxtaposition with danger."

Amestris couldn't argue there, she liked to ride the lightning a little more than her predecessors. She wondered who would be Guildmaster after her? But more importantly, "These numbers…they're even higher than last month's."

"That's because of that sweet little plot you set up with the Dawnguard. Thrynn's havin' the time of his life killin' vampires and heisting their leftovers and Tonilia's pointing us towards all kinds of untouched tombs. Our profits are more than quadruple the costs this month and they've been there only two weeks!"

Amestris set the papers down enthusiastically. "Nocturnal's graces! Karliah's going to have a fit! Perhaps she might want to join Thrynn and Tonilia…"

Brynjolf shrugged, "It wouldn't hurt to have someone watching their backs. Especially someone as skilled as Karliah." They needed to protect their investments—guild members being the most irreplaceable and expensive investment. "I'll head over to the Hall after I get done with business for the day."

"As long as it gets done." Amestris said, sighing with a lightened heart.

Brynjolf expected as much as a response. "Also, Delvin was looking for you."

"I could use some lunch anyway." She felt the inside pocket of her cloak, touching the letter that Lunirius had found on the assassin's body. Delvin would have some ideas about _that_.

It took Amestris half an hour to make it from one side of the Cistern to the other. Everyone had something to say to her and she had always been so open with talking casually to her guild mates that she couldn't say no now. And besides, she was happy to see them. Niruin and Sapphire did give her some lip, but she took it as well-meaning worry.

The Ragged Flagon was quieter than usual. One of the merchants was out, Tonilia was at Fort Dawnguard, and Vex was doing Amestris' job so there was no telling where she could've gone off to. But this suited Amestris' purposes well. "Delvin—Bryn said you were looking for me. Something happen in my absence?" She slid into a chair, leaning onto the table. "Hey! Vekel! Can I get your finest meal on your cleanest plate?"

Vekel waived her off, "I'll give it to you three weeks from now!" He yelled back at her.

"No greetin's after you ran off and died?"

"Oh, I do this every few months."

"Not without telling Inigo where you're going. He was worried half to death so be sure and find him before the day's over. Damn cat is doing a job an hour just to keep busy from thinkin' about your dead body rotting in some ditch." Amestris looked at Delvin with wide eyes, her face wrinkled in horror. "Anyhow…you had a visitor a few days ago. He's stayin' at the Bee and Barb."

"Who is it?" Delvin gave her a knowing look but nothing clicked. "Delvin, I'm tired and impatient."

"Some important mage with the College of Winterhold. I think he called himself Eola, Elgie, El—"

"Elias." She said as though it were a curse. "What did he say he was here for?"

"He didn't, only that he needed to speak with you in person and that he'd be waiting for you at the inn until you came back." There was a pause, Amestris' lips pursing. "He looked worried when I told 'im that you had been gone for almost a month."

"Ah, I'm sure you misread him. That's all." She thought about the note, about giving it to Delvin. But then…what if Elias really had appeared worried? And what information was so sensitive that he would wait here to tell her? She stood, tossing a few Septims onto the table. "Hey, Vekel—forget my order, I've got to run."

She started out but stopped just as quickly, "By the way, I may be back later for you so don't stray too far tonight." Just in case her hunch was incorrect or if it were perfectly correct. Delvin would be the best person to get her on a lead.

Amestris moved up to Honeyside, taking her time to enjoy the fresh night air. Riften was so peaceful…it was hard to believe the controlled chaos that lay below the city. Her home was all serenity though, hardly an ounce of thievery inside. Even her wardrobe was all purchased or found clothing.

The outfit she wore was enchanted fabric—green with gold embellishments. Gold detailing ran down a plunging neckline which revealed much of her chest and some of her midriff. A pleated white skirt ran underneath, short in the front as to allow her calves room to breathe. The green and gold that made up the most of the outfit draped around her heels. The long sleeves were clipped at the center with gold-amethyst clasps. Gloves that enhanced her Destruction powers complimented the outfit in light brown with deep brown vine-like detailing. The gloves hooked around her middle fingers and added to the alluring element of the dress. She pulled on a pair of sandals that wrapped all the way up to her knees. Ah but what could be done of her hair?

She tucked up into a messy bun—her usual style—completed with her favorite diamond clip. She was sure to leave the circlet behind, sitting atop her fireplace. She had taken a liking to the look of it.

At the Bee and Barb, Amestris spotted the thick back and wild brown hair of Elias. Not to mention, he was wearing College robes which stood out prominently in Riften's crowd of brown and green linen. "Keerava, I'll be taking a mug of mead." She said as she walked to the spot beside Elias.

He stared at her, his face pale and his eyes hollow. It was as though he thought himself to be looking at a ghost. A quick count of his cups told Amestris that he was a few deep and…probably not expecting her.

Keerava slid her the cup, Amestris slid her the coin. "Care to take your cup and bring it upstairs with me?" The Argonian barkeep who might've liked Elias before, now gave him a look of displeasure—having not known that he associated himself with _those _types.

Amestris thought Keerava a fine Argonian—objectively beautiful and a hard worker. And Keerava's dislike of her didn't bother Amestris by any means. She had, as one of her initiation tasks, squeezed a payment out of her and her husband. Though it wasn't a wholly sound way of considering things, Amestris liked to consider the dislike of the merchants in Riften as underlings challenging their Alpha's. It struck a balance which Amestris liked. Every city needed balance, after all. The very thought of an absence of such balance made Amestris uncomfortable. Riften was beautifully balanced—a thriving, lively city supported by a city beneath it both of which needed the other to survive.

There was only one example of a city more balanced than Riften—Falkreath, a town shrouded in death but surrounded by the life of the forest. The Dark Brotherhood's function there payed homage to that balance—killers resting in the most verdant land that Skyrim had to offer. Though the overall feel of Falkreath and the Black Door was cold, there were no warmer temperatures in Skyrim. People died and, in a way, it gave life to the forest. This balance had been kept for years, evident by the ancient and vastness the many tombstones of its great cemetery. This admiration had gone so far as to, in some small way, make Amestris regret building her primary home in the hold. What did she bring as contribution of balance?

Elias and her didn't exactly have a balance either. He was no criminal, as far as she knew, and yet he didn't do his work for honor. Perhaps getting recognized for his— "Where have you been?" He asked after a few minutes of them sitting silent.

"Just took my time getting home. Did I miss something?" She wasn't going to give away too much, not until she knew what he had come for. He did something strange, something which made Amestris' face contort into confusion. He laughed, only silencing himself by taking a drink. "By the Gods, you've lost it."

"No, no." He shook his head, leaning forward as though to conspire. "I thought for sure you were dead."

And this was what Amestris had come for. She cocked a brow, coolly, leaning in a little. "And what would make you think that?" His eyes met hers, tracing notably over her war paint or…something else? Amestris wondered if he were looking for a tell, trying to gauge whether or not she was lying.

"I don't want to get into the specifics here but, I was told that you had been killed by an assassin from the Brotherhood."

Now what had led him to believe that? Amestris took a drink—ah, she had missed mead and the chatter of the B and B. But her enjoyment of the inn's livelihood came in second to finding out about her own near-death experience. "Let's finish our mead and then take a walk."

The weather of the Rift was its usual even mix of warm and humid, comfortable but something one couldn't help but be aware of. They walked the path that came down the back of Honeyside, following the lake towards Heartwood Mill. This would be about as private as they were like to find. The land was fairly open, making enemies easier to spot. Even her own home in Riften wouldn't provide as much privacy.

"Lady Dedlock had a vision of you on a mountainside in the snow being shot down. She said that she had felt your lungs fill with blood. Her and I have both learned to rely on her visions but…I tried checking anyhow. We figured that it was unlikely that you would encounter any bandits somewhere so far off the road." They tended to stay near roadways, better robbing that way. "And we also didn't think it likely that the common mercenary could sneak up on someone so skilled in the same arts so it led me to believe that—"

"The Dark Brotherhood had been responsible?" Amestris asked, reaching for the note.

"Yes but, how—" She handed it to him, and he opened it to read the contents. "So it was true?"

"Sort of. I was saved by a Khajiit living out there."

"You're even luckier than I thought."

"So I've been told."

"That's why you were gone so long then?" He imagined that it would take some time to heal from a wound like that, even with healing arts and especially if she were performing them on herself. "You know that won't be their only attempt right?"

"Which is why I'm here with you now. Do you or Lady Dedlock have any idea who the current leader is? Finding he or she outside of the sanctuary is going to be how I find my way out of this. Not to mention, finding out who put the contract out on me." The task of finding who wanted her dead was going to be harder than finding the current leader. There were just so many people she had pissed off over the years.

Elias shook his head, "No idea. Lady Dedlock wasn't sure either." Which was an honest surprise to Elias, she was usually so thorough in her research of possible enemies. "And finding out where their current sanctuary is wouldn't do much in the way of anything productive. Those Black Doors are impenetrable by magic and the passwords are always nonsensical bullshit." Or so he had read.

"Elias, surely there's a reason you're here besides checking on my well-being." The thought had been bugging Amestris since Delvin told her he was here.

"Ah that. Lady Dedlock wanted to be sure that you were actually dead. And that, in the case you weren't, to tell you our findings. She had been sure her dream was real."

"And why in Oblivion would Lady Dedlock care that I know my enemies?"

He shrugged, "She didn't say. If I had to guess, because she wants the privilege of killing you herself. Or, continuing to beat you."

"Continuing!" Amestris shouted, looking at him wildly. "She hasn't beat me yet!"

Elias laughed, "I guess that outlook is more subjective than not. Either way, I think—on some level—she'll be glad you're not dead yet." Plus, as much as she wouldn't acknowledge it, Lady Dedlock had been impressed by what Amestris had done in the Thalmor Embassy. She didn't think many thieves would even attempt such a feat. Even Elias had walked away impressed by her dedication.

Amestris snorted, "She won't be so glad the next we cross paths." The two of them stopped, lining up to face the lake.

Their stances reflected that of Masser and Secunda, her petite person standing beside his massive frame. It was a peaceful moment, one of few for Amestris. And maybe, she thought, one of few for him too. The moons must live such peaceful lives without the constant roving of people. Nirn, the land which they stood on, might be so quiet one day. But as it was now, Amestris was glad that they only had to see a reflection of their future. She was content with this planet, unready for it to end.

"You say that but, I think the fights between you two are actually healthy. I mean, until one of you kills the other." Elias wasn't wholly sure it would be Lady Dedlock killing Amestris anymore.

"How so?"

"She doesn't often find someone who's a challenge for her. A real challenge, I mean. And I doubt you do either." Amestris shrugged at this explanation.

"I'm looking forward to finding out whose magic is stronger. That's for certain."

Amestris left Elias back at the inn, wishing him well on his journey home and warning him away from the Velothi mountains. She returned to the Flagon, finding Delvin in the exact same spot she had left him hours ago.

"I didn't think you'd take me literally, Delvin. It's nearly 4:00am, what are you doing up?" She remained standing, as she didn't plan on being there long.

Delvin snorted at her, "I didn't stay on account of you, boss. With Tonilia on duty, I'm managing her clients. It's damn hard work taking care of hers and my own. Not to mention, I'm helping to fence goods. Honestly, I'm not sure how much longer this old 'eart can take the stress."

Amestris rolled her eyes, "You're telling me you'd like another fence here in the Ratways."

"In a roundabout sense, yes. As it was, Tonilia was getting overwhelmed before she left by fenced loot. I don't think she'd be against having a litt'le help down 'ere."

"Alright, I'll have Brynjolf look into it. But in the meantime, I have something that needs to top your priority list." She drew out the assassin's note, handing it to him. "I have the Dark Brotherhood on my tail and it's only a matter of time before they send another agent after me. I need you to find out as much as you can about their current status—members, locations, the leader. And, if you can, anyone who's recently contacted them.

"Bloody hell! Why didn't you say something when you first came in? Is that why you've been gone so long?"

"Sort of. And it doesn't matter, the specifics anyway."

"Nocturnal damn me if I haven't come to think of you as family, Amestris. It does matter. Even for the Guild's business it matters."

Amestris stood silent but she relented, as she always did to her guild family. Taking a seat, she shot into exactly where she had been the last month. Starting from the incident at her attempted break-in to the College and all the way up to her meeting with Elias just a few hours ago.

But what had surprised Delvin most was not the kindness of a recluse living in desolation, rather Lady Dedlock's hiring her. "Are you telling me you don't think that Lady Dedlock did it?"

"No," Amestris shook her head. "Why would she have made Elias come tell me about her dream? I don't think she would've cared to cover her tracks that well. And besides, that uppity Dunmer never takes the easy route in things." Even asking Amestris to do a job for her wasn't the easiest way to get what she wanted from the Embassy—and that wasn't even to mention _how _she went about asking Amestris to do it.

"Hm, I'll trust your judgement on that. You know her better than anyone here. But as far as what I already have on the Dark Brotherhood…not much. They moved into their new Sanctuary in Dawnstar half a year ago. A different person came to me each time to give payment for fixing up the place and none of them were connected specifically to the Brotherhood. One of their members must be a powerful Illusionist. Nearly all their members died when Astrid…well, actually now that I think of it, those initials do fit a member of the Brotherhood."

Amestris nearly fell out of her seat as she leaned in.

"Kirinais-Ni. She was an Argonian that stirred up quite a bit of trouble when she joined them a couple years back. I couldn't say for sure that the initials belong to her but I do know that she was there when the Brotherhood failed and that Astrid tried to have her killed over a contract."

Amestris touched her chin thoughtfully. Kirinais-Ni probably believed the Guild didn't have her name, not many knew that Astrid had ties the Thieves Guild. "Do you think that the payment to have me killed was hefty?"

"Oh, most definitely. I'd wager the price on your head is upwards of, oh, 25,000 Septims." Amestris was impressed with herself. It did narrow down possible commissioners somewhat, certainly no one outside of the upper-class had put out the contract. She had heisted hundreds of thousands from wealthy merchants though but for them to contact the Dark Brotherhood would be a stretch. Doing the ritual alone required a vendetta to be struck, a personal element which her kind of burglaring just didn't have.

"Last question Delvin…what do you think it would take for me to have the contract thrown out?"

Delvin thought, "Well they're aligned with Sithis and since he's owed a soul, you'll have to give one in return. I'd guess you'd either have to kill whomever put the contract on your head…or the current leader."

"I guess it's decided then."


End file.
